Millard f



(No Model.)

M. P. FIELD. LOOM HARNESS.

Patented Mar. 15, 1898.

WIT/\IEEEEE- MILLARD F. FIELD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN CLARKE, TRUSTEE, OF SAME PLACE.

L OOM-HARNESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,669, dated March 15, 1898.

Application filed February 1, 1897. Serial No. 621,380. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILLARD F. FIELD, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loom-Harness, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to provide means for quickly adjusting the warp-guiding eyes of a loom-harness to enable said eyes to advantageouslyreceive the operating-needles or other devices employed todraw the warpthreads through said eyes, my invention being intended to space a plurality of eyes simultane ously and hold each in a predetermined position, each eye occupying a given space in the row of eyes, so that they can be quickly and advantageously threaded, whether one at a time by a single needle, or by hand, or simultaneously by a plurality of needles correspondingly spaced and connected to operate simultaneously by machinery, thus enabling the threading operation to be more quickly performed than 'it can be when the harness is in its natural condition, the eyes and theirsupporting-cords being normally in a loose condition and the eyes more or less entangled and indefinitely located, so that there is no definite arrangement or alinement of the eyes which would enable a needle or a connected series of needles to be passed through the eyes. In the normal condition of the harness the eyes, being loose, are displaced to a greater or less extent, so that they are not in condition to readily receive warp-inserting needles or other devices. Hence there is considerable difficulty even in inserting the Warp-threads one at a time, it being practically impossible to insert a plurality of threads simultaneously by a connected series of needles.

My invention consists in a harness-eye-controlling attachment engaged with the eye-supports of a loom-harness and movable thereon from an inoperative to an operative position, the eyes being loose or in their normal condition when the attachment is in its inoperative position and definitely spaced and held for the advantageous reception of the warpthreads when the attachment is in its operative position, as I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side View of a portion of a loom-harness having an attachment embodying my invention, the attachment being in its inoperative position and the eyes in their normal condition.

Fig. 2 represents an edge View showing the attachment in the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the attachment in its operative position and the eyes controlled thereby.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, A A represent the top and bottom bars of a loom-harness frame, and B B represent the threads which extend between said bars and support the warp-eyes E E, said parts comprising an ordinary harness, the construction and operation of which are well known. Vhen the harness is in its normal'oondition, the eyes and their supports are loose, the eyes being irregularly spaced, as shown in Fig. 1. a

In carrying out my invention I apply to the eye-supports B an eye-controlling attachment 0, which is adapted to be moved on said supports and is engaged with the same in such manner that when in one position it will not affect the eyes and supports, but will leave them invtheir normal condition, as shown in Fig. 1, but when in another position it will spread or separate the supports and hold the eyes uniformly spaced and facing in one direction, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the eyes are in a favorable position to receive the warp-threads, which can be inserted either singly by hand, or by a needle, or simultaneously by a machine or appliance devised for the purpose. 7

The attachment C may be a cord, chain, or other flexible device having a series of loops D, corresponding in number to the supports B, the supports passing through the. loops. When the attachment is moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 and extended, its loops D are separated and uniformly spaced, the harness-eyes E being correspondingly spaced and caused to face in one direction to properly receive an operating needle or needles. When the attachment is raised and left free to contract endwise, the supports B assume their normal positions. There may be but one of said attachments on each harness or each may be equipped with two attachments, one above and the other below the eyes, as shown in the drawings.

I find that good results are attained by using as the attachment 0 a strip of any suitable woven or braided fibrous material, either in the form of a cord or a tape, the strip being of sufficient length to extend through the entire length of the harness. The strip is provided with a series of loops D, corresponding in number to the warp-eye supports. The said strip is so flexible that it will conform normally to the natural position of the Warpeye supports and will therefore assume a Wavy form, permitting the said supports to stand in their usual positions. When, however, the strip is moved close to the Warp-eyes and put under tension to straighten it, its loops separate the warp-eye supports and cause the eyes to face in one direction. When the strip 0 is interposed between the two threads of each Warp-support that form the knotted end of the Warp-eye, the strip has loops on both sides, one for each of said threads, as shown at the top of Fig. 2. hen the strip 0 is used on the portions of the warp-eye supports that are linked to the Warp-eyes, its loops may all be at one side of the strip, as shown at the bottom of Fig. 2, there being no necessity for placing the strip between the threads of said portions.

The straightening tension may be exerted on the strip by any suitable means, as by grasping it by both hands of the operator and pulling in opposite directions. I propose, however, to use a machine for this purpose, which machine will form the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent.

It is preferable to straighten or put under tension only a part of the strip ata time, thus controlling a part but not all of the warp-eyes at each operation. After the Warp-threads have been inserted in the controlled eyes another part of the strip O is straightened, and so on until all the eyes have been controlled and threaded. Ordinarily one strip C-the one at the knotted ends of the Warpeyes will be sufficient, and the other strip may be dispensed with in mostcases, or both strips Oabove and below the warp or harness eyes may be used in conjunction.

I do not limit myself to a cord as the eyecontrolling attachment and may use any device which will accomplish the described result without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. A loom-harness having an adjustable spacing device movable on the Warp-eye supports.

2. A loom-harness, having a flexible spacing device provided with a series ofloops at ,regular intervals, said loops embracing the warp-eye supports and movable thereon.

3. A loom-harness having a flexible fibrous strip, provided with a series of loops, said loops embracing the warp-eye supports and movable thereon, whereby said strip and its loops may be left in inoperative position at the ends of said supports, or may be moved close to the eyes and put under tension to uniformly space the supports and cause the eyes to face in one direction.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 26th day of January, A. D. 1897.

MILLARD F. FIELD. WVitnesses:

C. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON. 

